A Comparison of Surface and Near Surface Acquisition Techniques for Induced Seismicity and Microseismic Monitoring

Summary A comparison study between borehole arrays, broadband seismometers and surface geophones is undertaken using a new passive seismic dataset from the Fox Creek, Alberta, area. Induced seismicity and microseismic events are compared based on waveform character, arrival time accuracy, and frequency content. In addition, using cross-correlation for detection, the effectiveness of each of the instruments at picking up events is compared. It is concluded that the broadband seismometers are most effective for induced seismicity monitoring, while the borehole array is most suitable for the microseismic monitoring.